The new year has begun and that means: The next gardening season is in the starting blocks. We show what you can not miss in your garden.
Form and color are more reminiscent of a flower, but are ornamental cabbage [Photo: Bill Stanley – CC BY-ND 2.0 ]
For many hobby gardeners and garden lovers, the winter is a pretty hard time – as most garden activities unfortunately have to be canceled due to weather conditions. But now in the new year, many are already starting to plan for the coming gardening season: what will be planted this year in the vegetable patch, which ornamental plants should illuminate the flowerbed and what else is there for the latest news from the garden world, also on their own property to be collected? So that you are up to date, we have summarized the best garden trends for the year 2021 below for you.
1.           Raised beds
Raised beds have been on the rise in many German gardens for a few years now. This year, the raised beds are really missing in any garden. They are not only practical, but also visually a real eye-catcher. How to build a raised bed pretty easily yourself can be found here. What many do not know: certain, narrow raised beds can also be the perfect solution for growing vegetables and herbs on the balcony or terrace. How best to plant the beds and what to pay attention to, you can read in this article. High live the raised bed!
Raised beds are becoming increasingly popular and extremely practical [Photo: Ofer El-Hashahar – CC BY-SA 2.0 ]
2.           Unusual herbs
You can also refine your self-made raised bed with a few unusual herbs. How about the curry herb,for example ? As the name suggests, this herb smells and tastes like curry. However, it is not part of the classic Indian curry spice mixture. Other exotic herbs in our latitudes that could enrich your garden in 2021 are mushroom herb , shiso (perilla) and hyssop .
 Ysop attracts many butterflies with its filigree flowers [Photo: Brian Plunkett – CC BY 2.0 ]
3.           Bee friendly plants
Another trend that will hopefully last for a long time is bee-friendly plants. These transform your garden into a real paradise for the bees, which are often threatened in their habitat. But not only the little animals will enjoy the variety of flowers. Very suitable plants are, for example, thyme or phacelia. A list of the 10 most bee-friendly plants you can find here.
Let’s do something together with bee-friendly plants [Photo: Gilles San Martin – CC BY-SA 2.0 ]
4.           Red meaty fruit
Healthy food is on the rise. Cranberries have been popular for some time now because of their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants bind free radicals in the body and are thus essential to its healthy nutrition. But rotfleischiges fruit is particularly rich in antioxidant agents. These peculiarities can be found in special rarity nurseries, such as the Pflanzenenspezl. So why not plant a red-fleshed vineyard peach, a red-fleshed apple or a red-fleshed pear in your own garden next spring?
Cranberries are delicious and healthy [Photo: liz west – CC BY 2.0 ]
5.           ornamental cabbage
Simply turn your own vegetable patch into a real color spectacle? This is possible, for example, through the cultivation of various kinds of ornamental cabbage. These enlighten in a variety of colors: dark violet, over bright pink to bright orange – the variety is really impressive. What should be considered when growing ornamental cabbage, you can read in this article.
 Ornamental cabbage with a deep dark purple coloration [Photo: jacinta lluch valero – CC BY-SA 2.0 ]
6.           Vertical garden
Especially in the big cities, there is often a lack of plants that not only visually enhance the cityscape, but also provide cleaner air. The trend of vertical gardening (the English word for expression) arose out of this observation: bringing more green back to the cities. However, no horizontal surfaces are planted, but, for example, house facades are equipped with plants that have no problem with this vertical positioning. Vertical gardens can also be laid out relatively easily on your own balcony or on your home wall.
No matter if flowers or herbs, in the cloth bags you can grow a lot [Photo: Ruth Hartnup – CC BY 2.0 ]
7.           Aquaponics
Aquaponics is a combination of AQUAculture and HydroPONIK and refers to the simultaneous cultivation of crops combined with the breeding of fish in certain pools. This symbiosis is already successfully practiced in various German cities and also the hobby fishing community discussing the various aquaponic variants in the network. A detailed article about the topic can be found here.
The nutrient-rich water from the ponds is an ideal fertilizer [Photo: US Department of Agriculture]
8.           Natural pest control with beneficials
Chemical club was yesterday. In the home garden, the savvy gardener increasingly resorts to biological pesticides or even other species that control pests naturally. The larvae of the cute ladybird, for example, eat tons of the so hated aphids. Certain nematodes destroy the larvae of the dreaded weevil. May the fight of insects begin!
Larva of the seven-spot ladybug eating lice. [Photo: Gilles San Martin- CC BY-SA 2.0 ]
9.           Morbid roses
If you want to deviate from the usual standard in terms of roses and a variety of colors and nuances in his flowerbed wishes, should put in 2021 definitely on morbid roses. The color and shape variations really enchant every garden and will probably amaze many observers. You can find a list of the most beautiful varieties here.
Hybrid Tea Rose Neptune [Photo: Tracie Hall – CC BY-SA 2.0 ]
10.        Hedgehog friendly garden
The garden is not just a retreat for us humans. Also, many animals are dependent on too narrow buildings to share these often last green areas. Many hedgehogs die each year as they have to cross many roads to finally find a garden that is accessible to them. We have summarized in a video together with the LBV how you can make your garden friendly.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal and traverse gardens in search of food. [Photo: Michael Wagner]
